Trial is culmination of a years-long feud between Musk and Altman that has become increasingly vicious

The trial pittingElon MuskagainstSam AltmanandOpenAIbegan in earnest on Tuesday with opening arguments, as lawyers for the two tech moguls seek to convince aCaliforniajury of their client’s version of the AI company’s history. The trial is set to feature testimony from both billionaires, as well as some of the most powerful executives in the tech industry.

Musk’s attorney argued that Altman, OpenAI and its president, Greg Brockman,broke a foundational agreementto better humanity when the non-profit pivoted towards a for-profit structure. Musk, who left OpenAI in 2018 after co-founding it with Altman and Brockman three years earlier, also alleged that his co-founders unjustly enriched themselves as the company raised billions of dollars and grew into the AI behemoth it is today.

OpenAI’s attorneys rejected all of Musk’s claims. The company has asserted his case is “motivated by jealousy” and characterized him as an embittered co-founder seeking revenge after failing to take total control.OpenAIhas also pointed out that Musk started his own rival AI company, xAI, alleging that “this lawsuit has always been a baseless and jealous bid to derail a competitor”.

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, long lines snaked outside the Oakland federal courthouse as reporters, legal teams and court watchers waited to get inside. Altman and Brockman were present at the courthouse on Monday, while Musk was nowhere to be seen. The two tech leaders passed through security around 15 minutes apart on Tuesday morning.

Steven Molo, one of Musk’s lawyers, kicked off his opening statements and introduced his client to the jurors. Musk stood up and nodded to the jury. Molo referenced the jurors’ negative feelings about Musk that were brought up during jury selection and asked them to “put your feelings aside and decide this case on the law”.

“This case isn’t about Elon Musk, it’s about the defense,” Molo said. “It’s aboutSam Altmanand Greg Brockman.”

Molo quickly turned to the founding of OpenAI, saying its mission was “the benefit of mankind as a whole unconstrained by the need to generate a financial return … not for the benefit of Sam Altman, not for the benefit of Greg Brockman, not for the benefit of Microsoft”.

Then he made his central claim: that Altman and Brockman “stole a charity”.

Molo later turned his attention to Microsoft, saying that its $10bn investment in OpenAI in late 2022 is what eventually led to this lawsuit. “Microsoft provided substantial help, substantial assistance, to Altman and Brockman as they made an absolute mockery of OpenAI’s charitable mission,” Molo said.

Source: Drudge Report